Footprints in the sand: FIVE YEars oF thE FabIan WomEn’s nEtWork mEntorIng and PolItIcal EducatIon ProgrammE SUPPORTED BY rosie campbell & Joni lovenduski About the FAbiAn Society The Fabian Society is Britain’s oldest political think tank. Since 1884 the Society has played a central role in developing political ideas and public policy on the left. Through a wide range of publications and events the Society influences political and public thinking, but also provides a space for broad and open-minded debate, drawing on an unrivalled external network and its own expert research and analysis. The Society is alone among think tanks in being a democratically-constituted membership organisation, with almost 7,000 members. During its history the membership has included many of the key thinkers on the British left and every Labour Prime Minister. Today it counts over 200 Parliamentarians in its number. Member- led activity includes 70 local Fabian societies, the Scottish and Welsh Fabians, the Fabian Women’s Network and the Young Fabians, which is itself the leading organisation on the left for young people to debate and influence political ideas. The Society was one of the original founders of the Labour Party and is constitutionally affiliated to the party. It is however editorially, organisationally and financially independent and works with a wide range of partners of all political persuasions and none. Fabian Society 61 Petty France London SW1H 9EU www.fabians.org.uk First published January 2016 Report authors: Dr Rosie Campbell & Professor Joni Lovenduski Report contributors: Caroline Adams, Ivana Bartoletti, Seema Malhotra MP, Christine Megson, Kate Talbot Report designer: Zoran Jevtic Photo: Andy Hall/The Observer This paper, like all the publications of the Fabian Society, represents not the collective views of the Society but only the views of the authors. This publication may not be reproduced without express permission of the Fabian Society and Birkbeck, University of London. About the FAbiAn WoMen’S netWork The Fabian Women’s Network is a vibrant network of over 2000 women, working to promote and facilitate women’s engagement in politics and public life. We take a lead in promoting policy that has the needs of women at its heart. We bring women from across the country, industry and the media together to share knowledge, skills and opportunities. Our quarterly magazine Fabiana, established in 2011 on the back of the fourth wave of British feminism, leads cutting edge debates across a wide range of sectors and issues, including economic growth, government reform, international politics, science and technology. We hold regular and wide-ranging events and receptions attended by movers and shakers from all sectors. We offer our members a unique opportunity to build networks, share ideas and develop new skills. In addition to our annual receptions and conference fringe events, we hold bi-monthly informal networking drinks in central London. There are plans in the pipeline to extend these to other parts of the country. Find out more: Twitter: @FabianWomen FB: facebook.com/ FabianWomen W: www.fabianwomen.co.uk Or sign up to our newsletter by emailing [email protected] President Seema Malhotra MP committee Members Jayne Almond Jessie Jacobs Sarah Sackman Ivana Bartoletti (Chair) Paulina Jakubec Felicity Slater Jos Bell Beth Knowles Kate Talbot Vicki Butler Christine Megson Ellie Cumbo Abena Oppong-Asare Sara Hyde Reema Patel About the mentoring programme organisers and report contributors Christine Megson is a long standing member of the Fabian Society and created the mentoring programme with Seema Malhotra MP. Her substantive career was in education including Principal of Stafford College. She has worked as a consultant across all government delivery departments, local government and the Cabinet Office specialising in new policy delivery and designing and delivering models for integrated public services. She has worked in NGOs, a Hospital Trust and start up charities including the School Food Trust, the Innovation Unit and Apnee Sehat as an adviser, non-executive Director and volunteer. She is a consultant to Sheffield Hallam Business School and writes on public services. Caroline Adams has worked for the Labour Party for 20 years: nine of them for Tony Blair, including seven at No.10 Downing Street in the Political Office. She is currently the Assistant Parliamentary Labour Party Secretary inside Parliament, and works closely with the Women’s PLP and the Women and Equalities Shadow team. She is a trainer with the Labour Women’s Network. She has worked with women in Tunisia through Woman for Democracy, to increase women’s participation in the democratic processes and to ensure their voices are heard within political parties. Caroline also drove the Labour Party’s pink bus on its ‘Woman to Woman’ tour of the country during the 2015 General Election. FWn Mentoring Scheme Advisory Group members Meg Munn (Chair, Former MP) Caroline Adams (PLP) Ivana Bartoletti (Chair FWN) Roberta Blackman Woods MP (Shadow Minister for Communities & Local Government) Elisabeth Davies (Deputy Chief Executive at Arthritis Care) Barbara Follett (Former MP) Kate Green MP (Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities) Barbara Keeley MP (Shadow Minister for Older People, Social Care and Carers) Fiona Mactaggart MP Seema Malhotra MP (Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury) Christine Megson (Programme Organiser) Nan Sloane (Labour Women’s Network) About the authors Dr Rosie Campbell is a Reader in Politics at Birkbeck, University of London. Rosie has written extensively on British politics, particularly on voting behaviour, political participation and representation. She is Vice Chair of the Political Studies Association (PSA) and was a member of the British Election Study advisory board. She is the principal investigator of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded Representative Audit of Britain which surveyed all candidates standing in the 2015 British General Election. Her research on election candidates, with Dr Jennifer Hudson (UCL), was used in Channel Four’s Election night coverage and reported widely in the media including The Daily Politics, The Guardian, The Telegraph and Westminster Hour. Professor Joni Lovenduski is anniversary professor of politics at Birkbeck, University of London. She is a fellow of the British Academy and an academician of the Academy of Social Sciences. She has acted as consultant on gender and politics for UNECE, the European Commission and the Council of Europe She directed the European Commission funded investigation of the state of the art of research on gender and politics in Europe in 1996 and 1997. She was European convener of the European Science Foundation funded Research Network on Gender and the State from 2002 to 2010. She has been chair of the Board of Political Quarterly since 2010. In 2009 she won the Gender and Politics Award of the ECPR standing group on gender and politics and the Political Studies Association UK Special Recognition Award for Achievement in Political Studies. She won the Political Studies Association UK Isaiah Berlin Award for Lifetime Achievement in Political Studies in 2012. Her current research is on Gender Equality Policy in the UK. With substantial assistance from Kate Talbot, a Cambridge graduate, trained in leadership at Harvard, with extensive engagement and political experience. She was a mentee in 2012 and co-opted to the Executive Committee as assistant co-ordinator of the scheme. She is a member of the Leading Change Network based at the John F Kennedy School of Government. After leaving university, she worked in Commercial Management for M&S, running departments with multi-million pound annual turnovers. While there, she led on regional projects concerning employee engagement and ran corporate social responsibility initiatives. Kate currently works for a Shadow Cabinet Minister in Parliament. CONTENTS Foreword 8 Executive summary 10 Introduction 11 The Structure of the Programme 12 Focus Groups and Interviews 18 Survey of participants (online abuse and Media Sexism) – Kate Talbot 31 Pre and Post Surveys 37 Conclusions and Recommendations 40 Reflections from the organisers 43 FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND | 7 ForeWorD he Fabian Society is a key player in British and international politics. Over the decades, it has helped shape the thinking of the progressive movement Tand pushed for greater internationalism. Fabians built the intellectual infrastructure underpinning two of the greatest assets of our society – social security and the NHS. The Fabians continue to deliver ideas for their reform so they can better meet the challenges of an evolving population’s needs. Now more than ever, the Fabians have a vital role to play. It is clear that in the UK and overseas the progressive left is at a turning point. We either reinvent ourselves, rethink our function and deliver a transformative vision for our country and the world – or face marginalisation in the political spectrum, with dramatic consequences for those we are here to serve. For example, it is time to advocate a new vision for the economy, in which financial rigour is balanced by a plan for growth and innovation, and a fresh industrial strategy for our country. And now more than ever, a balanced economy needs women at its heart, both in politics and industry at every level. This is the context of the Fabian Women’s Network mentoring programme – not only a project to support women so they can achieve but a solid programme to enhance women’s awareness of the challenges that we are facing. Whatever field our mentees choose – politics, public bodies or a professional career in their industry – the scheme helps them bring forward the change that our system needs. This is why it is important that such a programme is rooted in the Fabian experience. Not only do we need equal representation at every level; we also need the courage of many women to gain power so they can change the nature of power itself.